‘Riverdale’ Theories About the Black Hood’s Identity Are the Best Thing About TV Right Now

Riverdale has come back with a vengeance in season 2, and while that could very easily just be a figure of speech for the many amazing things we’ve seen in just the first five episodes of the series — including Josie and the Revolving-Door Pussycats’ renditions of both “Milkshake” and “Out Tonight,” a viral video featuring an Archie-led band of shirtless vigilantes, and the introduction of a little street drug we like to call “jingle-jangle” — it is also a very literal statement. Somebody in the idyllic, pep-fortified town of Riverdale, U.S.A. is murdering people with a literal vengeance.

This all started in the season 1 finale, with Fred Andrews (Luke Perry) getting shot up all to hell at Pop’s, a place that would probably be the scene of a lot fewer attempted murders if it didn’t have such foreboding lighting. Fred survived, though the attack left his son Archie (K.J. Apa) with a furious taste for vigilante justice. But the violent attacks kept coming: Ms. Grundy was murdered in Greendale; Moose and Midge were attacked in the woods when they only wanted to do a polite amount of jingle-jangle and then make out and maybe get to second base; Ethel (the Riverdale student who is Barb from Stranger Things) was terrorized and chased. And now this rotten S.O.B. is making crank calls to Betty with his/her voice all distorted, demanding that Betty assist with his/her plans to murder again or else he/she will murder Betty’s sister and mother and father and everyone she loves (so: her sister).

All of the above are bad things done by a bad person. But think about all the good the Black Hood is doing for Riverdale! Like how much fun it’s been to speculate and trade theories as to who’s under that hood. This is Riverdale, so it could be anyone from Pop Tate to Penelope Blossom to some random celebrity Veronica met once at the Vanity Flair Oscar party.

The internet fan communities are currently in a tizzy — an honest-to-God tizzy — about who the Black Hood could be. It’s boy scout/gun nut Dilton Doily! It’s a supernatural being that will serve as the welcome mat for Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s introduction to the show! It’s Chuck Clayton out for revenge after being humiliated/nearly murdered by Dark Betty last year. It’s Polly Cooper, having been driven mad by her stay at the convent! It’s Cheryl Blossom, whose vocal patterns give her away! It’s a brilliant guessing game and currently the most fun discussion to have about any show on TV.

In the interests of getting in on the fun and also informing our readers about the best and brightest Black Hood theories going (i.e. our own), here we present four alternate theories about who the Black Hood is and why they are killing.

CW

THEORY: Hal Cooper Is the Black Hood

The Case for It: The most obvious hint that Hal is the Black Hood killer is the eyes. While we don’t know much about the Black Hood, we do know that his eyes are a vibrant green, and Hal definitely fits the bill. Apart from the obvious eye color connection, Hal is Betty’s dad, so he knows that Betty was fond of Nancy Drew growing up, and he’s definitely a face that his daughter would recognize. It’s no secret that Hal has been openly shady in the past: he broke into Sheriff Keller’s office early in Season 1 to steal evidence that may have identified Polly’s baby as a product of Blossom-Cooper incest. PLUS, he has every motivation to make the killer look like a representative of the South Side Serpents, as he’s clearly embarrassed of his own wife’s Serpent past and would do anything to paint the Serpents in a negative light. But would he be willing to kill?

The Case Against It: Ms. Grundy’s murder proves to be a constant thorn in our side when it comes to defending these theories. What motive does Hal have to kill Ms. Grundy? It’s not as if she preyed on his daughter. And it was Alice, not him, who got super involved in revealing Archie and Grundy’s relationship last season. If Hal is killing Riverdale citizens in order to keep Betty away from her friends, killing Grundy seems like the opposite way of achieving his goal. Also, it seems unlikely that Hal would actually hurt his daughter Polly, as the Black Hood killer threatens to do. Despite making some weird parenting moves, it seems like Hal’s actions come from a place of love for his daughters, not a place of malice.

ALTERNATE THEORY: Just because Hal may not be able to hurt Polly doesn’t mean that he’s the only Cooper in the picture here. Don’t forget that Betty’s long-lost stepbrother is out there in the world, and he may not be so forgiving to the step-sisters that got everything he always wanted.– Claire Spellberg

The Case for It: In Season One, Sheriff Keller seemed to be somewhat decent at his job. He took finding Jason’s killer seriously and put the heat on the kids and any other suspects he thought might be involved in any way. This season, solving the mysterious Riverdale murders does not seem to be a priority, and his vibe is super off. He also knows everyone in town’s sins (and about Grundy and Archie’s steamy statutory affair!), so he’d be a perfect candidate as far as details go. It’s almost 100% likely that someone else is making the harassing phone calls to Betty (the letters received from “The Black Hood” have proved to be from multiple people, so it might make sense that one person is sending Betty letters/manipulating her, while the other is doing the real serial killing), and while I’m inclined to think it’s Betty’s long-lost brother (who will make an entrance sooner or later), in this case, it would have to be someone close with Sheriff Keller…. which brings us to Kevin. Kevin and Betty’s relationship has been tumultuous as hell this season, especially after she reacted so poorly to him cruising in the woods, and while it would be a huge leap for Kevin to be tormenting her with these phone calls, his distant behavior as of late might make sense… He did have that touching moment with his father earlier this season, after all, and maybe this is their demented attempt at father-son-bonding?

The Case Against It: It would be a wild character departure for Sheriff Keller to stray from his path of justice to shooting kids and his (sort of?) buddy Fred Andrews at point-blank range, and an especially crazy one for Kevin, who has been a pretty loyal friend to Betty thus far (even when she’s being a homophobic prude).

Alternate Theory: My other theory is that the Black Hood will act as our segue into ~supernatural Riverdale~ and it’s zombie Jason Blossom or Clifford Blossom brought back from the dead by SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH!!! — Jade Budowski

CW

THEORY: Dark Betty Is the Black Hood

The Case for It: Last season, we all got it into our heads that Betty’s brief foray into black wigs, chokers, and attempted murder (when she tried to drown Chuck in a hot tub for his spreading of vicious, slut-shaming lies about the girls at Riverdale High) meant that she was also behind the Jason Blossom murder. She wasn’t, and we all owe Betty an apology for that, but that also means that Betty’s hairpin turn into Dark Betty still hasn’t paid off yet, and that is one spicy meat-a-ball-a hanging out there, narratively speaking. Would it be that much of a stretch to think that these phone conversations with the Black Hood are all happening in Betty’s head?

Also, Dark Betty has already been shown to be an avenging angel against perceived immorality, after all. Why wouldn’t she strike down statutory rapist Ms. Grundy? Or attempt to “save” midge from the dangers of parking with a high school boy in the woods? Or …

The Case Against It: …okay, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for Dark Betty to have terrorized Ethel, especially since she nearly killed Chuck in (partial) defense of Ethel. But maybe Ethel never gave Betty a proper thank you!

The other thorn in this theory’s side is that Archie was present for one of the Black Hood’s phone calls to Archie. But is it so crazy to think that Betty dipped into a Dark Betty dissociative state, recorded a phone call, and then set it up to robo-call her phone somehow? …Let me re-phrase: In Riverdale, is it so crazy to think that Dark Betty dissociative state recorded a phone call and then set it up to robo-call her phone? I rest my case.

Alternate Theory: It’s Penelope Blossom, who got a taste of hiding her face when she was all bandaged up after the fire at Crimson Peak. — Joe Reid

CW

THEORY: Dylan Sprouse Is The Black Hood

The Case for It: One Jughead? Good. Two Jugheads? Hello, Emmy Award. Riverdale, a show that has one foot in reality and another foot in a hazy maple syrup-induced fever dream, is unpredictable. Sure, The Black Hood is probably local gun aficionado Dilton Doiley, because of course a murderer on Riverdale would be named Dilton Doiley, but why ignore the narrative gift known as Cole Sprouse’s IRL identical twin?

Maybe Dylan plays a bizarro Jughead? Perhaps he’s FP’s secret son? Betty’s long lost brother? (This show loves a good incest story!) Archie’s personal trainer? It doesn’t matter. You want to set Twitter ablaze, double down on the Sprouse, Riverdale.

Plus, the Black Hood did say that Betty would recognize his face.

The Case Against It: Dylan Sprouse appears to be living the literal sweet life since, best I can tell, he’s partnered up with a bulldog to fight crime in Brooklyn, New York.

Alternate Theory: I think it’s obvious what’s really happening here: Dilton Doiley is training a militia of boy scouts to wreak havoc on Riverdale. The red flags are too numerous to ignore: He’s an amateur gun dealer, enjoys Djing, and is a hardcore survivalist who teaches children how to fire guns on the down-low. — Josh Sorokach